Disappointment for any borough entrants as short stories competition winners are announced

Any borough resident having entered Derbyshire County Council's short-stories competition will be disappointed after none were named in the winner and runners up places.

The authority's library service was behind the 2022 initiative with the county itself being the theme.  Libraries across the county were looking for stories of no more than 55 words, in whatever style the writer wished.  Over 100 entries were received but it is not known whether any were submitted by residents of Erewash and if so, how many.

The winning story is by Andy Forsyth from Matlock Bath and is called 'Leap of Faith'.  Andy will receive a £20 book token.

Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture, Tourism and Climate Change Councillor Barry Lewis said: “This competition has provided a great opportunity for writers to have their work seen by a wide audience and it is a wonderful way of celebrating our county. The entries were of a high standard and I congratulate the winner and runners-up.”

You can read the winning and runners up entries by visiting www.derbyshire.gov.uk/55words. The runners up were 'Longshaw' by Ann Lloyd from Dronfield, and 'Night Shift' by Lynn Luddit from Chesterfield.

There is some good news though for any Erewash resident having submitted their story to their local library, as all eligible entries are being published in an ebook on Derbyshire Libraries' BorrowBox platform and will be available for all customers to read and enjoy.